With No Resolution In Sight, Port Strike Could Begin Next Week

As Politico reported, President-elect Donald Trump could take office amid another port strike. Indeed, dockworkers working ports in the Atlantic and Gulf coasts could return to the picket lines on Jan. 15, 2025 if they cannot reach a deal with the shipping companies regarding the role of automation in their industry. (Trump is set to be sworn into office on Jan. 20.)

The workers also want their employers to agree to wage increases of about 60 percent over six years. The union, the International Longshoremen’s Association, is worried additional automation could reduce well-paying jobs for blue-collar workers. The United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port operators and their major shipping companies, has argued automation makes dock work less hazardous, improves efficiency, and is necessary to keep pace with ports in other parts of the world, including Asia and Europe.

As of Jan. 5, there has been no resolution to the stalemate. The two sides are set to resume discussions Wednesday, Jan. 7, however.

Meanwhile, according to Politico, based on public statements, the president-elect seems to have sided with the ILA. “They’ve got record profits, and I’d rather these foreign companies spend it on the great men and women on our docks, than machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced,” Trump posted on social media Dec. 12 following a meeting with ILA leader Harold Daggett. “In the end, there’s no gain for them, and I hope that they will understand how important an issue this is for me.”